Improvement in machines for stretching hat-bodies



.Danbury,

. and to the letters and figures marked thereon.

PATENT QFFICE.

JOHN G. MEEKER, OFHDANBUBY, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR or ONE-HALF Hrs RIGHTTO 11w. MEEKER, on SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN MACHINES FOR S'TRETCHING HAT-BODIES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 168,272, datedSeptember 28, 1875 application filed I a July 21, 1875.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JOHN G. MEEKER, of in thecounty of Fair-field and State of Connecticut, haveinvented a-new andvaluable Improvement in Machines for Stretching Hat-Bodies; and I dohereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription of the construction and operation of the same, referencebeing had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification,

of reference Figure 1 of the drawing is a representation of a sideelevation of my improved machine. Fig. 2 is a top-plan view of the same.Fig. 3 is a plan view, showing the under side of the table and levers.

This invention has relation to machines for.

stretching hat-bodies; and consists in pivoted lever-arms of peculiarconstruction, operated by awedge-shapedlever, two of the lever-armsbeing so arranged with relation to the others as to communicate motionthereto in the process of stretching the hat-body.

My invention also consists in providing such levenarms with pivotedclamps, which bite and hold the hat-body while being stretched,

and operated by means of a hand or foot lever,

as will be hereinafter more fully described.

In the drawings, A represents the frame of the machine, upon the top ofwhich is secured a cross-piece, a, with a table, B, \of the form nearlycorresponding to that of the hat-body when folded, and is cut away, asshown at b,

to form seats for the lever-arms O G, which are slotted at their outerends to receive pivoted clamps c 0. These clamps are provided withface-plates d d and'curved arms a c, and are kept raised from 0d thetable, when not'in use, by suitable springs f. The arms 0 0 act aslevers, and are pivoted at h to the under side of the table, such levershaving fingers it, which bear upon oneside of the finger of the oppositelever, as'shown'in Fig. 3 of the drawings, by which motion iscommunicated from one lever to another. The face-plates d d of theclamps are brought down and held firmly upon the hat-body by chains,wire rods, or other suitable connections j, secured to the ends of thecurved arms 0 e, and to the center of a hand or foot lever, D, the outerend of said lever being hinged to one of the crossbraces of the frame A,and held in its position, when pressed down, by the catch 70. A curvedlever, E, is pivoted to brackets Z upon the under side of the table B,and has a wedgeshaped arm, m, which is brought between the arms 0,forcing them outward. The fingers 45, coming in contact with fingers iof the'levers, also force the arms 0 and clamps c in the same direction.It will be seen that the hat-body, before being placed upon the table,similar to a cone, and by the relative position of the clamps thehat-body will be stretched most at the rear end of the table, the twoclamps c c stretching the hat at the brim, while the clamps c c stretchit at the tip.

The clamps, if desired, may be adjustable to the diiferent sizes of hatsby simply lengthening or shortening the distance between the pivots, orby arranging the clamps to move on a slide or bar. I Having now fullydescribed the construction and operation of my invention, what I claimas new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-'- 1. The pivotedlever-arms G O, with fingers I M, in combination with the wedge-shapedlever E, arranged to operate substantially as specified.

2. The pivoted lever-arms O 0, provided with fingers 7} i, carrying thepivoted clamps c c, operated by the intermediate connections of twowitnesses.

JOHN G. MEEKER. Witnesses:

WILLIAM BURKE, LYMAN PLATT.

is folded in shape

